Improvement in machines for stripping the top flats of carding-engines



,UNITEDA STATES. PATENT OEEICE.

S. L. CROCKET'I ANI) BENJAMIN T. MILLS, 0F LOW'ELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR STRIPPING THE TOP FLATS 0F CARDING-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,98), dated October93, 1806.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, SELnoN L. CRoeKnTr and BENJAMIN T. MILLS, both ofLowell, in

Ythe county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Machinery which is used for Stripping the TopFlats of Carding-Engines; of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an endelevation of a cardingengine which has a stripping apparatus appliedthereto. Fi gui! is a side view ofthe same. Fig.3 shows the working sideof our improved lifting and replacing cam, with the position ot' thestripper-arm F and yoke T as shown in red lilies. Fig..4 shows avertical central seetion 0f the stripper-arm F, the cani WI, the movableslide h, and lifting-pins l and 2, one guide-pin, t', a portion of onetop iiat, b, and a lifting-jaw, lr, all et' which pertain to the saidcarding-engine. Fig. 5 shows the working side ot' one of our improvedcams, full size,for practice with the lifting-pins in differentpositions around the grooves of the cam. Fig. (i is a central sectionot' said cam. Fig. I is a plan, and Fig. 8 a vertical central section,of one of the movable slides,\vith thelii'ting-pins connected therewith.Fig. t) is a side view of a lifting-jaw.

Our invention consists in the employment of a lifting and replacing cam,so formed and arranged as to lift the top Hats of cardingengines,perform a positive depression of said.

top flats onto the strip-card, and replace them in their properpositions without the aid of depressing-springs or other similar devicearranged to bear the top flats down when the stripping is performed; andthe said cam may be turned backward as well as forward without breakingor injuring any ofthe machinery.

The card-cylinder A rotates on bearings at the center ofthe top girts Bof the frame, which are supported by `posts C at each corner. A metallicarch, D, is secured by bolts through the feet a of the arch to the topgirts B. The top flats b are arranged on the outer surface of thesearches, and are movable from and toward the center of the shaft E of thecylinder A, upon which shaft stripper-arms F, at each side of theengine, are made to move at intervals forward and back by means ol' agear, e, working into a mangio-pin segnlent, G, secured to the outsideot' each ot the arches l).

The gear c receives motion from a segmental gear, II, on the outersurface of the cam W', (shown in Fig.I,) through the tumbler-gourd,secured to the same shaft.

The segmental gear-cani and full gear J are driven by an intermediategear, c, connected with another intermediate gear,f, which receives itsmotion from the gear g, on either end of the top shaft, I'I; and a beltruiming from the pulley M, on the shaft E of the cylinder A,onto thepulley L, on the top shaft, II, drives the whole stripping apparatus.

In the machinery for stripping the top flats et' earding-enginespatented by George .Vt-llxiiail, of Lowell, Massachusetts, January 27,1857, all of the above -described apparatus is used, and the saidWellman employs` a lifting and replacing cani consisting ot severaldetached ilangcs or projections cast upon the surface of a plate. Saidtlanges are made to operate a slide having four pins secured thereto.r)Shree of the pins are acted upon by the detached iianges to lift andreplace the top flats, and a spring secured to the under side of thecross-stay m on the top ends of the stripper-arms F is designed todepress the top thits onto the strippercard and cause it to strip thetop tlats clean. The fourth piu on the slide is intended to guide thefirst or outer pin outside of one of the detached tlanges in replacingthe top tlats, but the outer pin sometimes passes inside of the saidflange, and then the tlange or pins are broken. This cam, havingdetached tlanges, can turn only one way, and in the attempt ofunpracticed operators to turn the stripper back, in order to strip themain cylinder, the detached iian ges are frequently broken ott', whichspoils the whole cam, so that a lifting-cam, strippingcam, and gear haveto be replaced, being all connected.

1n the drawings, Fig. 5 represents the precise form of our improvedcani, with the two lifting -pins l and 2 in different positions aroundin the grooves 1t and I of said cam, as indicated by Figs. l', 2', to8'.

Our cam begins to lift the top Hat on pin l, in position l', and as saidpiu moves outward on the continuous flange 13 the pin 2 passes inside ofa prominent point,66,and catches on the point 14 ot'the inner aange, N.Pin l passes outside ot" and above the edge of the cam, and piu 2 aroundin the groove P, and when the lifting-pin 2 passes from position 4 to 5said pin is moved downward by the otiset y, forcing the slide,ja\v, andone top flat with which the jaw is engaged down onto the strip-card,thus performing a positive depression ot' the top fiat at each strippingoperation.

Suiiicient time is had, while the pi n 2 is passing from the offset y tothe point 15 on the iiange N of the cam, for the strip-card to bewithdrawn from beneath the top Hat, and said flat begins to fall as pin2 passes point 15, and continues to fall until pins 1 and 2 are nearlyto that point indicated by position 8', from which point or position toposition l the stripping device is moving from one top flat to another.

In order to strip the main cylinder A, it is frequently necessary tolose considerable time in Waiting for the apparatus to work its way overto one side of the engine; but bythe use ot' our improved cam thestripping apparatus can be moved backward by reversing the motion ofthecam and turning the stripper back to the point desired, without injuringthe cam or the liftingpins, or any part ofthe machinery, as the peculiarform ot' said cam admits ot' its being turned backward quite as easilyas tor- Ward.

Fermin our improved cani with grooves R and I and continuous flanges0,8, and N precludes the possibility ofthe lifting-pins l and 2 gettingout of place.

All the curves of our improved cam are important and cannot well beel1anged,and some prominent points and curves cannot be chan ged at allWithout spoiling the operation of the cam. The point 22 on the outerportion ofthe double tlange S,and tbe point 6G on the inner portion ofthe opposite end of said tiange, the point 33 on one extremity of theflan ge O, and the point 44 on one extremity of the ange N areabsolutely necessary in reversing the mot-ion of the cam to turn thestripper backward. The point 55 on one extremity ofthe fiangeO guidesthe pin l properly in replacing the top Hats after the stripping hasbeen performed, and, making that portion of the ange S between l() andl0 continuous, is also necessary', to guide the pin l past the point 22,and prevent the pins l and 2 dropping too suddenly or in any way gettingout of place.

We do not claim the machincr f for stripping the top flats ot'cardingengines, nor the lifting cam or cams used by G eorge NVelhnan orHorace Woodman; but

ie do claim as follows:

1. In the machinery which is used for stripping the top iiats ofearding-engines, the ein ployment of the lifting and replacing cam,formed substantially as herein set forth and shown, and arranged tooperate in the manner and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the lifting and replacing cam, formed and made tooperate as herein set forth, the two pins l and 2 in the slide la, actedupon by the cam in the manner and for the purpose specified.

SELDON L. CROCKE lT. BENJAMIN T. MILLS. In presence oil- J oHN E. CRANE,J. S. XVIHTNEY.

